7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Prey for the children..., September 23, 2008
This review is from: Goodbye, Children ( Au revoir, les enfants ) ( Auf Wiedersehen, Kinder ) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ] (DVD)
A deeply rich and moving film, `Au Revoir, les Enfants' (translated `Goodbye, Children' in English) is one of the most harrowing films to be released in recent years (well, 1987 isn't really recent). Dealing with World War II and the discrimination against the Jews in France, `Au Revoir, les Enfants' is as tragic as it is enlightening and is definitely one of the finest films to ever broach to subject, especially from a child's perspective.
The film follows young Julien Quentin as he befriends a new student, Jean Bonnet. It is apparent right off the bat that Bonnet is not like the other boys, but that doesn't stop Julien from forming a bond with him. As the secrets behind Bonnet's stay at the school are revealed (it isn't too much of a spoiler to reveal that Bonnet is indeed Jewish and he is being hidden at the school by the priests that run it) then the safe haven these boys reside in soon becomes fear inspiring as Jean is being hunted by the French collaborators.
The film is beautifully shot by director Louis Malle (who also wrote the film based on his own personal experiences). The fact that the film was inspired by actual events helps aid in giving the film an honest tone, a feeling of purity even within all of the tragedy. This film glides over our eyes and fits comfortably with us as we take it in effortlessly. The film is richly shot and masterfully constructed. Technically, there is not a thing wrong here. The musical score, the scripting, the cinematography (such rich depictions of the boys living arrangements; all too often we forget that there is more to cinematography than beautiful landscapes) and the brilliant acting all contribute to the films many layers of breathtaking beauty.
The two young stars of the film, Gaspard Manesse and Raphael Fejto, are wonderfully cast in this film; each boy giving his character so much life and realistic humanity. Manesse plays Julien with this curiosity so prevalent in boys his age and manages to capture the impact of his surroundings, balancing his natural impulses with his manipulated ones. Fejto adds so many layers of mystery to Bonnet, the fear and repression that haunt his every movement. He delivers a truly believable and heart stopping performance. Francine Racette has a few splendid scenes as Julien's mother and Francois Negret is devilishly good as Joseph, the young boy who befriends and then betrays Julien.
The film is a very poignant look, not only at the Nazi rule, but at the impressionable state of our youth. As the boys within the school are conditioned by the world around them, by their parents and their teachers they are forced to find themselves within all the pressure to conform to each and every one else's idea of who they should become. They hate who everyone else hates, they love who everyone else loves and they condone what everyone else condones, but when they take themselves out of their own skin they are given the opportunity to actually choose for themselves who and what they are going to believe. Julien makes that choice, and it is seen on his face as the Gestapo drags away his friend.
That final frame, that face, that expression says it all.
This is a film of major importance, one that should be seen by all (it's of such importance I would recommend this to schools as well) for it sheds light on the effect that these tragic events have had on everyone, not just adults and parents but children as well.
Youth cannot protect us from the horrors of society; if anything, it makes us more susceptible to it.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of Malle's Finest Films, October 22, 2008
This review is from: Goodbye, Children ( Au revoir, les enfants ) ( Auf Wiedersehen, Kinder ) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ] (DVD)
"Au Revoir, Les Enfants" (1987) will endure long after other films are forgotten. With beautifully controlled simplicity, director Louis Malle tells an autobiographical story of a Catholic boys school in German-occupied France during 1944. Among the students are three Jewish boys hiding from the Nazis, including an accomplished pupil named Jean (Raphael Fejto). Jean soon becomes friends with Julien (Gaspard Manesse), an equally shy and talented student who realizes that his trusted companion is Jewish and becomes aware of the tragic consequences involved. It is their friendship that forms the soul of Malle's emotionally stirring tale. The filmmaker draws us into a real world in which the audience is shown the absolute beauty of life only to be confronted by its horrifying atrocities. Once the shock hits, viewers can only stare in silence at the students' emotional innocence - gone forever. An Oscar nominee for best foreign-language film, "Au Revoir, Les Enfants" ranks with "Murmur of the Heart" (1971) and "Atlantic City" (1980) as Malle's finest work.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the most subtle, poetic, sad, and beautiful films ever made, December 3, 2009
This review is from: Goodbye, Children ( Au revoir, les enfants ) ( Auf Wiedersehen, Kinder ) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ] (DVD)
This film is more beautiful, sad, and honest than just about any film I've ever seen. When something is perfect, one should really just admit that there are really no words that one can add, except: please see this and understand.
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